ARTS Pick: Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes

If there’s one thing that Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes prove, it’s that music always benefits from a little attitude. Their sound captures a swanky sense of fun from the blues era, delivering a healthy kick that wakes the soul to an experience beyond clichés and catchy hooks. Supported by a classic trio of backup singers, Browne performs original tunes in a smoky voice that sparks raw energy and captures the heart of her audience.

Monday 8/11. $18, 7:30pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. 977-5590.

Beats and brotherhood Made up of brothers Tahir, Stephen and Courtney Panton Jr., along with their father, Courtney Panton Sr., New Kingston infuses urban style into its Jamaican heritage, bringing fresh innovation to its soulful, rhythmic reggae. Starting musical careers at an early age in New

Could there possibly be anything more boring than a supposed spy thriller where the main character wins all the time and is immediately right with every hunch? That’s the experience of watching American Assassin’s Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a character who is devoid of real personality so he

Three become one in the Swedish folk band Väsen, an acoustic trio now in its 27th year of touring. The veteran group, made up of Roger Tallroth on 12-string guitar, violist Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson, a prominent nyckelharpa (a “keyed fiddle”) player, is deeply rooted in the aged

Various techniques lend texture and drama to the works in the Hypnagogia Film Collective. Contributions by artists Angus Carter, Edmond Marchetti and Larry Simon, along with guest filmmakers, are “unified through the collective’s devotion to innovation and transcending concepts of what

Even though she lives in the nation’s capital now, Lisa Parker Hyatt can’t leave Miami behind. “I spent most of my life in Miami,” explains the artist, whose richly colored paintings are included in collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the archives of the National Museum of

Called “the young American string quartet of the moment” by the New Yorker, the Dover Quartet will perform a benefit concert in support of those affected by the August 12 hate rally, with proceeds going to the Heal Charlottesville Fund. Starting out in 2008, the group has rocketed

Judy Dyble/Andy Lewis Summer Dancing (Acid Jazz) Summer Dancing is a triumphant turn for an undersung figure of seminal British psych-folk. Judy Dyble preceded Sandy Denny in Fairport Convention before working with Robert Fripp in his pre-King Crimson days—her range and tone are similar to

The power of art is strong in our town. Before, and in reaction to the events of August 12, our community circled a heavy “piece of art” that carries a shameful history littered with atrocities on its back. Whether or not it remains intact—and what it represents to whom—it’s become an

Following last month’s local violence by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups, many people are speaking and acting out against racism for the first time. But becoming an effective activist and ally to people of color requires humility, curiosity and ongoing education—which is why

Lights go up on the wood-paneled stage in the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center auditorium to reveal the inside of a jitney cab station in Pittsburgh. It’s early fall 1977 and the Hill District, a group of neighborhoods that have long been the cultural center of black life in

In January, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia welcomed a director and chief curator, Matthew McLendon, formerly with Tate Britain in London, the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College and The Ringling Museum of Art, the state art museum of Florida. While McLendon

When Erin Lunsford is on the road with her band, Erin & the Wildfire, she’s often overlooked. Because she’s a woman, Lunsford says, many assume she’s a groupie—even though she’s the band’s lead vocalist and it’s her name on the bill. Though it’s initially difficult for her to pick just one,

From jazz at Miller’s to indie rock at the Southern and big names pulling up to the Pavilion, Charlottesville’s music scene is undoubtedly vibrant. And while it’s true that we have a treasure trove of bands—both local and touring—there’s more to Charlottesville music than songwriters. We have

Ten years ago, Caitlin Lennon received a job offer from a “small startup.” Emily Hartka and Sara Clayborne, co-founders of what would become the Charlottesville Ballet, asked Lennon to join them as a company dancer. Lennon was training on full scholarship with the Richmond Ballet, had never

The film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel IT, long considered unfilmable, has finally reached the big screen, bringing new life and a modern sensibility to a story that is simultaneously nostalgic and damning of selective memory. The decades are swapped—our heroes are growing up in the late

As the weather starts to turn cool, now is a good time to find a book to curl up with on those chilly, overcast days. Local author releases this season offer a wide array of subjects from which to choose, such as history, fiction, psychology and memoir. Here are some highlights: Lisa Jakub, Not

All events, part of the Cville Pride Festival, take place at the Sprint Pavilion, 700 E. Main St. cvillepride.org Singer-Songwriter Showcase 1-2pm It takes a certain amount of moxie for a musician to get on stage, armed with only an acoustic guitar and a voice—no tricks, no smoke, no

On a recent weeknight, rainy and surprisingly chilly for early September, the four members of Sweet Tooth set up their instruments in the warm red and violet lights of the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. The venue’s small stage couldn’t contain Sweet Tooth—there’s a drum kit, a guitar, two

NPR describes Brooklyn Rider as “one of today’s most technically accomplished string quartets,” but the group is more than its technical abilities. In its willingness to perform both faithful renditions of classical pieces as well as original, genre-warping tunes, the accomplished foursome

Area singer-songwriters are taking the problem of homelessness into their own hands at the Six Pack Songwriter Showcase to benefit PACEM, an organization that provides meals, shelter and companionship to those in need. Organizer Jason Burke brings together Peyton Tochterman, Will Overman, Mark